Aussie photographer captures incredible Aurora Australis shot

It's hard to capture a perfect shot of the Aurora Australis, but one photographer has really raised the bar.

Steven Sandner, a substitute teacher by day, hiked to a location 95km south east of Melbourne to find a cave, the mouth of which is shaped like an outline of Australia.

It was through this cave that he shot the Aurora Australis, an amazing natural light display, and southern cousin to the well-known Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).

The lights are created when the sun releases a burst of solar wind and magnetic fields. The winds carry particles which interact with the earth's magnetic field and collide, producing energy releases.

The magnetic field of the earth is closest at the North and South poles, so Tasmania is usually the best place in Australia to see the lights, but they can be seen from the bottom of Victoria as well.

Capturing beautiful images of the sky is one of Sandner's particular talents – his Instagram is full of beautiful images of landscapes topped with dreamy pink and blue skies.

Both auroras are notoriously difficult to shoot because, although they become beautiful multi-coloured photographs, they are often invisible to the naked eye. They are also easiest to catch in areas that are clear from light pollution, which can be hard to find.